This summer, seven St. Mary’s College students, faculty, and staff participated in the national meeting of the American Association of Physics Teachers in Washington, D.C., along with affiliated conferences: Laboratory Instruction Beyond the First Year and the Physics Education Research Conference. The group gave a combined total of 10 presentations at the conferences.
Rose Young ‘20 presented her research on supports for physics students who are guardians of children.
Young also presented alongside Liz Mulvey ’20 and Angela Johnson, professor of educational studies, research findings on institutions that graduate a large number of women of color in physics. Additionally, Johnson spoke on intersectionality and identity among physics students in different settings, as well as a team project to support women of color in STEM.
Michelle Milne, assistant professor of physics, shared effective instructional techniques for student projects in electronics.
Erin De Pree, associate professor of physics, described her work with students building a radio telescope for use in instructional labs and student research, along with a comprehensive resource set to enable other colleges to build their own telescopes.
De Pree, along with Josh Grossman, associate professor of physics, shared the SMCM physics program’s integrated curriculum for career exploration and developing career management skills. This curriculum has been cited by the American Physical Society and American Association of Physics Teachers as a model.
Photo:
Front (L to R): Rose Young '20, Asst. Prof. Michelle Milne. Back (L to R): Ariel Keene '19, Prof. Angela Johnson, Physics Lab Coordinator Rachel Courtney '01, Liz Mulvey '20, Assoc. Prof. Erin De Pree, and Assoc. Prof. Josh Grossman.
